SPYING AT THE U.N.: MEMOIR RAISES AN OLD SPECTER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000705970022-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 12, 2011
• Sequence Number: 22
• Publication Date: February 19, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

~. Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/12 :CIA-RDP90-009658000705970022-3
NEW YORK TIMES
19 February, 1985
Nations Charter, every employee
swears an oath promising not to ~'seek
or accept instructions from any gov-:
ernment or other authority_ external to
,the organizatlan."
The defector, Arkady N. Shevchen-
ko,whowas the senior Soviet olfidal at
the United Nations from 1973 until his_
defection in 1978, has asserted that the:
Soviet Union has used the United Na=
lions Secretariat, the organization's
f Sdministrative body, for espionage, z
"Every Soviet'natlonai whoxakes thec
organization's oath must commit pert
jury," Mr. Shevchenko wmtt in his,
memoir. "Before an individual's candi-
dature is submitted by the Soviet Union
to the Secretariat's Office of Personnel
Services, that individual undertakes an
obligation to do his or her best in the in-
terests of the Soviet Union and to use
his'or her prospective job to achieve
this purpose." _ .. ~ .
Few Surprises
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y., Feb. 17 - : a en t at a e aia
A memoir by a Soviet defector has ;not cooperate. a saws.
rekindled a debate in the corridors of I Mr. Shevchenko also asserted that at
the United,Nations Secretariat over the ~ least o e vier dtuens
extent to which an independent dull f in t ~e ecretariat were not omats
service is possible within a world body ;but lute li ence a ants.
of sovereign states. on t any y,at the Soviet
When the United Nations was .i missio~~would care to comment oa the
founded nearly 40 years ago, the Secre- .i book.?' said one diplomat at the Soviet
lariat, the organization's administra- ~ mission to the the United Nations.
Uwe arm, was created as a group of "There's no comment on our side."
' dull servants whose first loyalty was to According to onehigh-ranking Secre-
theworld body itself: Under the United lariat offidal, Mr. Shevchenko's ?ac-
sto
f th
~pyYng at , tie U.1'v.: ~~Vl~m~
_~ _~.._
an~ Old S cter.
:.. ~ .
~ By ELAINE SCIOLIIVO
speaa m rn~ rlew York Ttmw ,i intelligence 'and internal~eCitritY i
Some Secretariat?oflidals and diplo-
? mats who knew Mr. Shevchenko when ,
he was at the United Nations say they
have found `few surprises about the
world body in his book: They say it has
long be~ea an open secret ~ that staff
members from ? Soviet bloc countries
owe their primary allegiance to their. j
governments. But these, officials"say
they fear?that the considerable pub-
liary surrounding Mr. Shevchenko's
book may harm the reputation of the in-
ternational dull service. -
But other Secretariat offldals and
~plomats argue that the concept of an
ternational dull service has lost
j
'much of its meaning aver the years.
Mr. Shevchenko, who was an Under
;Secretary ,General, described how he
often attended the daily morning brief-
lugs at Lhe Soviet Mission and received
explidt instructions on how to carry
out his job. ,.
I his duties he wrote were
usi.~ his influence to 0 or mte - ~
? ligeace_a~ents co_ ec iti~i
ployees. This practice, known.fa diplo-
matic parlance as "secondment," is-
Y opposed by many offidals, in-
ducting members of the United States
Missionv _Y _ ..... ?~ ~'
~~ .~:_ _.,_ ,,,e
violation of the concept of an interna-
tl dull service," said Jenne J.
' IQ#'kpatrlck, the outgoing chief United
States delegate to the United Nations.
"It should never have bees accepted."
.Although some United States dull
servants are on loan, Dr. Kirkpatrick
and other diplomats and Secretariat of-
fidals object to what they call the
Soviet policy of,ysing the procedure of
.filling United Nations positlo~ns exdu-
sively with government employees.
Charges o! Abuse
Those who believe the practice is
being abused say that most other ~o~n-
tries besides the Soviet Union use it as
a way to let a small number of dvu ser-
wantstake cleave of absence from gov-
ernment in order to work for the United
Natloas for a designated length o! time.
Civil servants from more than 70 na-
bons are now on loan from their gov-
'~ernmeats, according to a 1984 United
`Nations document.
A much less important a use, but as
say some United
abuse nevertheless
.
ry. ~
e
count represents only parco
Nations offidals, is the practice of gov-
~Different Politlcal Ideas ernment subsidies for the paychecks of
'This orgatrizatlon, for, better or employees who have bees lent to the
worse, contains 159 nations in different United Nations. The practice violates a
stages of political development, with United Nations staff Wile that prohibits
different political?ideas," said Brian E ~ internatlonal~ dull servants from no-
Urquhart, a Briton who is an Under'- '
Secretary General for Spedal Political cepting any outside pay. '
Affairs and who.has been at the United At least three Western Governments
Nations for 39 years, longer than any subsidize the United Nations salaries of
other, . employee. "The Shevchenko employees they have lent to the United i
saying the practice is needed'-
book shouldn't blind people to the fact Nations
,
-that .the idea of the international dull .~ the employees will not lose money;
service is a good one and works to a , by tak~g a United Nations job and liv-:
surprisingly large extent. ~ ing in New York, where the post of liv-.
' `You wouldn't _ throw out the pro thg is high. . '` ` ? ...
cepts of the Bible just because not West Germany and Japan, forc=am-?
everyone is living up to them," Mr: Ur- pie, subsidize their employees directlyy.
quhart said. ~ according to Armando Duque, an oftl-' .
Those who say that the concept of an, dal in the United Notices Department;
independent interna~tioual-dull service of Administration and .Management.
is not viable point to the .practice by And the United States Government'
, which all ,Soviet bloc aatipnals em- ..makes up any finandai loss when .its'
ployed by the United Nations are rem- ,mnpioyees return to ,government ecru-~
~,pq~ai~_'lent? to~he world bod~and 'iCe from the United Nations, according
continue to serve as governmental em-~, m the State Department. - - .
Although there is no evidence that
government~ubsidized emg~gyees Don-;
time to serve their eats,
many Secretariat offidals believe the,
practice has set a bad precedent.
Aiding National Interests.
Some offidals and dipla~-ats say,
that many member nations try to use'
employees in the Secretariat }.o ad-
vance national interests to varying de-,
g ' Many of the staff from the develop.
ing countries have a stronger degree of
nationalism than many of us, and it's
easier for them to identlfy with their
own countries,'. said one Secretariat .
official frpm Asia. "It's quite. under-
standable." ~ - .
I act raSoviet ro ands into Secre-
lariat reports. e e vier
Continued
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/12 :CIA-RDP90-009658000705970022-3
 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/12 :CIA-RDP90-009658000705970022-3
d of oo eratioa with home ?
countries t range ~m oc on-,
~- a m~issioa oflTn~Pg '
tioas~oc;isions as me-etrngs
n'~p ~'inf'.I eacst~a eruta. _. __
e nrt a ons a 'dale assert
that e t fates con
eDCe 8ctIV1C1e5 at IIr a OnS.
Mein o e nit fates an
' m 7mo9v a e 4 to rates o'
not ave s ies in a tanat
r a s
e international dvil service is also
'~P~ by Practical difficulties fn
hiring and . pmmotiaa. Ia prindple,
q{ralified nationals of all member aa-
i tions may apply for the 2,000 proles-
, sioaal Secretariat .jobs in New. York-
and the 2,300 professional Secretariat::
,jobs Overseas.
;. According. to the United - Nations
Charter, the staff is recruited not only
on the basis of competence and iateg-
city but also with attention to wide gea
graphical representation: .,?
"You trp to get as many posts as pos,
sible for your own nationals," said one
Western Ambassador: "This is wrong;
but everybody does it. And it is parr
fectly natural for these employees to
report to you about what's going am at
'the United Nations." .
a.
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/12 :CIA-RDP90-009658000705970022-3